14 DAY TRIAL // On Wednesday, mobile phone carrier MetroPCS Communications, Inc., the leading provider of unlimited, no annual contract, flat-rate wireless services in the United States, announced officially the launch of the first 4G LTE-enabled Android smartphone on the market, the Samsung Galaxy Indulge.
The new device was spotted into the wild before as the Samsung Forte or Samsung R910, and is set to arrive at the wireless carrier with Google's Android 2.2 Froyo operating system on board.
Although it is the first commercially available 4G LTE smartphone on the market, the Galaxy Indulge won't be alone for long, as other operators in the United States also announced plans to bring to shelves such devices.
However, the new device would be priced incredible appealing, at $399 plus tax, when put on sale via MetroPCS stores and online later this week.
Not to mention that the device would be accompanied by MetroPCS’ $50 and $60 4G LTE smartphone service plans, which offer unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE Web page browsing to users interested in gaining access to streaming audio, video and gaming content, downloads and Android applications.
“Our commitment to offering premium, feature-rich smartphones was once again fulfilled today with the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Indulge, which will allow consumers to experience the vast benefits of both MetroPCS’ 4GLTE services and the Android operating system,” said Roger D. Linquist, president, CEO and chairman of MetroPCS.
“Mobile consumers no longer have to choose between low cost service and high-end Android handsets. Instead, they can truly have it all by being able to select from a full spectrum of feature and smartphones paired with 4GLTE services at an unmatched value.”
A sliding handset, the Galaxy Indulge sports a 1GHz processor, Bluetooth, a 3 megapixel camera with auto focus and video recording capabilities, as well as a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space (a 4GB microSD card included into the mix).
The new device arrives on shelves with the MetroSTUDIO application, which offers users the possibility to watch exclusive entertainment and multimedia content on their devices, as well as with support for other software, downloadable from the Android Market.
The phone also offers support for Google Mobile services, including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube, as well as enhanced messaging features, with support for e-mail, SMS or social media channels.
“The Galaxy Indulge integrates two of Samsung’s core product investments; the Android platform and bringing powerful and intuitive 4G-enabled devices to the U.S. market,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile.
“The Galaxy Indulge is loaded with the speed of the Android OS, true mobile broadband connectivity and a 1GHz processor with rich multimedia features for premium movie and TV content.”